**Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Paradise Season 2 finale titled ‘Exodus’. Reader’s discretion is advised.**
Paradise Season 2, the sophomore entry of Hulu’s Emmy-nominated post-apocalyptic political thriller, wrapped its run with a jaw-dropping finale titled ‘Exodus‘ on March 30. The Season 2 finale concluded with Paradise’s own apocalypse as the Colorado bunker is destroyed after a nuclear meltdown that seemingly claimed Sinatra’s life. However, the bunker’s chief decision-maker managed to bequeath the responsibility of Alex, the mysterious supercomputer, to Xavier, revealing that he might be the chosen ‘User X’ capable of activating it.
However, before the world burned in the Paradise Season 2 finale, fans noticed an eerie symmetry between ‘Exodus’ and the series’ Pilot, which beautifully brought the second season to a ‘full circle moment’ and set up a new theme of chaos and order for the (already confirmed) Season 3. As Xavier runs through the Paradise to save his life in the ongoing chaos, the moment is quietly juxtaposed with the Pilot, where Agent Collins starts his day with a peaceful morning jog, before the harrowing events of the day. A Reddit user appreciated this moment in the Paradise Season 2 finale:
”Full circle moment running through Paradise in the pilot (for exercise) and in the S2 finale (for his life).”
More on the Paradise Season 2 finale in our story.
Paradise Season 2 finale fan reactions
As Hulu’s post-apocalyptic series wrapped yet another nail-biting season with many jaw-dropping cliffhangers, fans can’t help but dissect the Paradise Season 2 finale. While the final entry sheds some light on the nature and time-manipulating capabilities of Alex, it also sets up many mysteries, including Sinatra’s uncertain fate. Sinatra, who was portrayed as a mysterious and influential figure in the sophomore season, sacrifices herself for the greater good of the community. After Link and his team of survivors force their way into the bunker, the internal lockdown triggers a nuclear meltdown inside the bunker that could kill everyone else.
The final moments of the Paradise Season 2 finale saw Xavier and Sinatra heading to the control room to close the doors from inside, which is when the latter chooses to stay and sacrifice herself for the community. As Agent Collins runs through Paradise for his life, the moment is highly reminiscent of the Paradise Pilot, when Xavier jogs across the bunker in the morning, to a seemingly normal day.
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to clock this symmetry between the Paradise Season 2 finale and the Pilot, calling it the perfect intersection between chaos and peace. A Reddit user even connects this symmetry with ‘User X’, ie, Xavier, the individual meant to activate Alex. The two intersecting lines in ‘X’ represent chaos and peace, which can be equated to Xavier’s two runs, one in the beginning and the other at the end:
”I’m overthinking this but: “X” is made up of two lines that intersect. The run at the start of the show and end of this season by X represent the two lines that cross, one of peace and one of chaos. The larger story of the show will possibly involve two timelines of peace and chaos. And X has to find the intersecting point to change everything. Or something. It’s a stretch ahhaha.”
This started a string of fan reactions, as another Reddit user commented:
”I thought it was like when he ran home stressed tf out in the pilot & ended up in front of the sign saying “maintenance, 2 hours late”, full circle moment.”
”I thought the same thing. Billy was teasing him about it like why do you need to be able to run?” another user wrote
The Paradise Season 2 finale concluded with many questions
While Sinatra seemingly perished in the Paradise Season 2 apocalypse, many fans are wondering if the series’ most fascinating character is truly dead. The final moments of the Paradise Season 2 finale saw Sinatra finally reveal to Link that she thinks that he is her dead son, Dylan. She says:
“See you soon, Dylan. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Many fans are linking Sinatra’s last words to Link to her miraculous return in the third and final season, as one Reddit user wrote:
”She said, “I’ll see you soon”, to Dylan. So is she really gone?”
Additionally, with Xavier literally becoming the Chosen One, the ‘User X’ who is meant to activate Alex, what does the future hold for him? Various flashbacks and details have signalled that Miller’s claims were true and Alex is capable of manipulating time, which explains Link and Xavier’s weird visions about each other, the prediction of Jane’s birth and Sinatra’s ‘death.’ With many incidents proving that the mysterious machine can bring chaos, will Xavier activate it? This is one of the main questions the final entry leaves us with, setting up another cycle of mysteries for Paradise Season 3.
The Paradise Season 2 finale is streaming on Hulu.
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Edited by Aashna